As LSU keeps climbing the top 25 rankings – the Tigers are rated 12th in the Associated Press and the Coaches polls – Tigers’ head basketball coach Will Wade is challenged to keep his team hungry.
It took back-to-back home wins last week over No. 16 Kentucky and No. 18 Tennessee for LSU (14-1 overall, 2-1 SEC) to earn national legitimacy after the Tigers lost their SEC opener at then-No. 11 Auburn.
LSU had double-digit leads against the Wildcats and Tennessee but faltered late. It forced the Tigers to make big defensive plays in the last two minutes leading to quick victory-clinching baskets.
Now, LSU heads to the University of Florida for a 6 p.m. CT Wednesday night SEC date. Playing in Gainesville has been a black hole where the Tigers have lost 10 times in their last 14 trips since 2000.
It doesn’t matter to Wade vs. the Gators (9-5, 0-2 SEC) his team will be without starting point guard Xavier Pinson, who sustained a sprained knee in last Saturday’s win over Tennessee. Even with sophomore Eric Gaines moving into Pinson’s spot and freshman Justice Williams into Gaines’ role off the bench, the Tigers are still seeking something they haven't accomplished this season.
“We've yet to play a complete game – beginning, middle, end,” Wade said. “Start the game well, finish the first half well, start the second half well and then get to do what we do in a six-minute game (the last six minutes). And we haven't been able to do that. We haven't done that in a game in a long, long time.”
There’s the hope that Pinson – who’s rehabbing his knee which now will be braced – will be back in action in Saturday’s home game vs. Arkansas. In the meantime, Wade has spent a lot of time preparing Gaines and Williams, including a Tuesday night film session with the relatively inexperienced backcourt duo.
“They’re really good players and they definitely bring some different strengths to the table and we’re going to play to those strengths,” Wade said of Gaines and Williams.
Gaines, one of three returnees from last season in Wade’s eight-man playing rotation, is averaging 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He’s a defensive disruptor – he has had 15 steals in the last five games – but has a habit of being too careless with the ball (18 turnovers in the last four games).
Williams sat out all 12 non-conference games healing a lower leg injury. Wade planned to redshirt him until the SEC opener at Auburn when starting guard Brandon Murray sat out with a hamstring.
In three SEC games, Williams has averaged 3.3 points in 12.8 minutes and Wade has liked what he has seen.
“He’s an unbelievably smart kid,” Wade said of Williams. “He studies everything. He watches a ton of film. He knows what's going on. He wants to be a great, great player and he's gonna be a great, great player here sooner rather than later.”
Florida is trying to avoid its first 0-3 start in the SEC since 1981, so LSU better expect the Gators will play with the desperation of a team seeking its first league victory.
The Gators are led by 6-11 junior forward Colin Castleton, who’s averaging 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. In Florida’s 83-79 victory over the Tigers last season in Gainesville, he scored 21 points including 19 in the second half. The game was tied 40-40 at halftime but Castleton scored the Gators’ first 15 points after halftime over a six-minute span.
“Last year, Castleton really, really hurt us,” Wade said. “We're certainly going to have to guard without fouling. Casselton gets fouled on over 60 percent of his possessions. So, we've got to do a good job of keeping him off the offensive glass where he gets putbacks and gets fouled. We've gotten a lot of foul trouble there.”
